Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws > Chapter 45-50 - Municipal Public Buildings Authorities

• Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• authority: means any municipal public buildings authority created pursuant to this chapter, or, if the authority is abolished, the board, body, or commission succeeding to the principal functions or upon whom the powers of the authority given by this chapter are given by law. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-50-9
• bonds: means and includes the notes, bonds, and other evidences of indebtedness or obligations which the authority is authorized to issue pursuant to this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-50-9
• construction: means and includes acquisitions, construction repair, rehabilitation, development, and installation, and the term "to construct" means and includes to acquire, to construct, to repair, to rehabilitate, to develop and to install, all in a manner as may be deemed desirable. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-50-9
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• cost: includes the cost of purchase and installation of solar, wind, and renewable energy systems, which include solar thermal, solar electric, and wind energy systems that provide heating, cooling, hot water, or electricity to a building, together with equipment for collection, storage, distribution, and control, including structural components of a building specifically designed to retain heat derived from solar energy. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-50-9
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• federal agency: means and includes the United States of America, and any department of, or corporation, agency, or instrumentality created, designated, or established by the United States of America. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-50-9
• Fee simple: Absolute title to property with no limitations or restrictions regarding the person who may inherit it.
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• improvement: means and includes extension, enlargement, and improvement, and the term "to improve" means and includes to extend, to enlarge, and to improve all in a manner as may be deemed desirable. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-50-9
• in writing: include printing, engraving, lithographing, and photo-lithographing, and all other representations of words in letters of the usual form. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-16
• issue: except as otherwise provided in any series resolution, means or refers to all bonds issued as part of a series and all additional bonds with respect to bonds of series. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-50-9
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• municipality: means and includes any city or town within the state. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-50-9
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• owner: means and includes all individuals, incorporated companies, copartnerships, societies, or associations and also municipalities, political subdivisions, and all public agencies and instrumentalities having any title or interest in any property, rights, easements, or franchises authorized to be acquired under the provisions of this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-50-9
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• person: means and includes natural persons, firms, associations, corporations, business trusts, partnerships, and public bodies. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-50-9
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Probate: Proving a will
• project: means any public facility or public equipment which the authority is authorized to construct, improve, equip, furnish, maintain, acquire, install, or operate under the provisions of this chapter, to provide for the conduct of the executive, legislative, and judicial functions of government, and its various branches, departments, and agencies. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-50-9
• public equipment: means and includes all tangible personal property, new or used, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, all machinery, equipment, transportation equipment, maintenance equipment, construction equipment, sanitation equipment, police, fire and public safety equipment, and all other things and rights usually included within that term, including any and all interests in property which are less than full title, such as leasehold interests, security interests, and every other interest or right, legal or equitable. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-50-9
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• real estate: may be construed to include lands, tenements, and hereditaments and rights thereto and interests therein. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-10
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• seal: shall be construed to include an impression of the seal made with or without the use of wax or wafer on the paper. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-15
• state: means and includes the state of Rhode Island, and any office, department, board, commission, bureau, division, authority, public corporation, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-50-9
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• town: may be construed to include city; the words "town council" include city council; the words "town clerk" include city clerk; the words "ward clerk" include clerk of election district; the words "town treasurer" include city treasurer; and the words "town sergeant" include city sergeant. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-9
• town council: include city council; the words "town clerk" include city clerk; the words "ward clerk" include clerk of election district; the words "town treasurer" include city treasurer; and the words "town sergeant" include city sergeant. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-9
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• United States: include the several states and the territories of the United States. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-8
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.